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Friday, August 11, 2017

Before the week completely runs away from me (and it very nearly has) here are a handful of highlights from the lively launch of the Print Council of Australia's PCA Print Commission 2017 at Collins Place Gallery, Melbourne on Tuesday evening, August 8.

Directly below, five out of the ten Print Commission artists are pictured in front of their works. From left - right they are: myself, Diane Masters, Jacqueline Aust, TJ Bateson and Joel Wolter.

This is followed by an installation shot of this year's commissioned prints, sans artists. For a clearer view of individual works and to match each print with its maker, goHERE.

It was good to see some familiar faces, including Melbourne-based author, Lucy Sussex, pictured below with my partner, Shane Jones.

Finally, I'm pictured with Sue Westwood, Business Manager of the historic Melbourne Atheneum Library, where my artist book, Leaves of Absence, will be launched later this year. (More about this in a future post). Sue's sister, Diane Masters (pictured top, second from left) is one of this year's print commission artists.

It was a memorable evening, and terrific to see so many people in attendance. The PCA Print Commission 2017 is certainly off to a great start!

The exhibition is current until August 18. For further details, scroll down to my blog post of August 8.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

This coming
Saturday, 12 August, at 2 pm, there will be an artists forum at the Art Gallery of Ballarat focusing on From the bower - patterns
of collecting, the current exhibition comprising collection items and
artworks plucked from the private 'bowers' of Loris Button, Louise Saxton,
Carole Wilson and myself.

Convenor Julie McLaren
will begin by asking if we would use the term ‘obsessive’ to describe our
individual practices; she is also interested in the idea of obsession in terms
of the private collections that fuel our works and which form the backbone of the
show.

The hour-long forum will
take place in the McCain Annexe. Afterwards, the artists will be happy to talk
about our work to individual audience members within the exhibition itself.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

The past two years have seen a significant change of direction in my printmaking practice via an ongoing body of archival pigment prints collectively titled Leaves of Absence.

I'm delighted to announce that Pressed for Time, a work from that series, is one of ten prints commissioned by the Print Council of Australia for the PCA Print Commission 2017.

There was an online launch of the commissioned prints early this morning. They will be unveiled in the flesh this evening between 5.30 - 7.30 in the exhibition now and then- 50 Years of the PCA Print Commissionat Collins Place Gallery, Shop 19, Collins Place, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne.

For those who can't make it tonight, the gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday, 11 am - 5 pm. The exhibition runs until 18 August. (Full details are on the invitation above).

This is my fourth print commission for the PCA. The first, a large-scale linocut, was made in 1986, the year following my graduation from art school.

Below is a preview of this year's commissioned work, photographed recently in the interim between numbering, titling and signing the edition and hand delivering it to the Print Council of Australia.

On
Saturday 29 July, Louise Saxton, Carole Wilson, Loris Button and I saw our collective
vision for From the bower - patterns of collecting
come to full flower in its latest incarnation at the Art Gallery of Ballarat - due in no small measure to the expertise of the AGB's inestimable Exhibitions and Graphic Designer, Brenda Wellman. Brenda (who is also responsible for the beautiful catalogue that accompanies the show) has
shared our vision from the outset. With invaluable input from Carole Wilson and
Loris Button, she has seamlessly incorporated numerous artworks and collection
items that were not included in the exhibition’s previous run at Warrnambool
Art Gallery. We are indebted to Brenda and her amazing team, to Director Gordon
Morrison, to the staff at the AGB and to the many people who came along on
Saturday afternoon to join in the celebrations.

A highlight of the launch was the opening address by Jason Smith,
Director, Geelong Gallery, who understands our aims and ideas so completely and
communicated them so eloquently to a captivated audience. We can't thank him -
and all of those mentioned above - enough.The exhibition runs until 17 September.

L - R: Carole Wilson, myself and Loris Button, preparing to meet the local press on the day before the exhibition opening.
(Photo credit: Peter Freund)

L - R: Carole Wilson and Brenda Wellman, pictured during the final stages
of the installation of From the Bower

Following are selected views of From the bower. This is a mere taster - more photos, including those of individual artworks, will be posted in the near future.

Friday, July 28, 2017

My fellow artists/collectors, Loris Button, Louise Saxton, Carole Wilson and I, and would be delighted to see you at the opening event of From the bower - patterns of collecting tomorrow afternoon, Saturday July 29, at 4 for 4.30 pm, or that you'll come and see the show during its run at the Art Gallery of Ballarat from 29 July - 17 September.The exhibition will be launched by Jason Smith, Director, Geelong Gallery.For those who can't make the opening, an Artists Forumwill be held on Saturday, 12 August at 2pm. This free event will posit the question 'Do you need to be obsessive to be an artist?' Come along and tell us what you think!

Further to my last post announcing that Leaves of Absence (2017) is a finalist in the 2017 Geelong acquisitive print awards, the artist book has been shortlisted for the 2017 Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award.

As followers of this blog will be aware, the book was recently exhibited in Between the Sheets - International artists' books 2017 at Gallery East, Perth WA and Australian Galleries Melbourne. As the show finished its Melbourne run, I was delighted to learn that Leaves of Absence has been acquired for the permanent collection of Monash University Library.

While my artist book Leaves of Absence (2017) takes a brief hiatus from touring in From the bower - patterns of collecting (see previous post)edition no. 2/10 has recently traveled from Perth, WA and is currently on view in the Melbourne leg of Between the sheets: artists' books 2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne. The exhibition opened on Tuesday evening, June 13 and runs until July 2. For further information, go HERE and HERE.

Meanwhile, in recently breaking news, Leaves of Absence has been shortlisted for the 2017 Geelong acquisitive print awards. The biennial exhibition and acquisitive awards will run from 2 August - 8 October. For full details, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Next week will see the finish of one major group show (at least, for now) and the start of another.

On Monday 12 June From the bower - patterns of collecting will conclude its long run at Warrnambool Art Gallery. If you are not among the hundreds of people who saw the show, never fear. The exhibition will be reborn in a markedly different incarnation on 29 July at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The AGB's Brenda Wellman, who also designed the elegant catalogue, has come up with a dynamic exhibition design befitting an entirely different gallery. Extra wall space will also enable the inclusion of additional artworks. So to those who saw the show at Warrnambool, you may want to come again!

From the Bower includes my artist book, Leaves of Absence. Coincidentally, on the same day we'll be dismantling the show at Warrnambool, the book will make its Melbourne debut in Between the Sheets: Artists' Books 2017 at Australian Galleries, Melbourne.

The show, which is curated by David Forrest and Janis Nedela, Directors of Gallery East in Western Australia, was previously exhibited at Gallery Central in Perth, WA. Shane and I called into Australian Galleries yesterday during day 3 of the installation. It was lovely to meet Janis and his colleague Andrew. To see further installation views, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Key stages in the development of two works from the Fallen Women series (an offshoot of Leaves ofAbsence). In each case, the process begins with a silhouette-hand painted onto a eucalyptus leaf and ends with a digital proof, the basis for the bonneà tirer (loosely translated, 'good to go').

About me

I am a visual artist who makes paintings, drawings, prints and book art. In 2009 I founded Moth Woman Press, through which I publish my zines and limited edition books, beginning with ‘There was once… The collected fairy tales’, a small anthology of thirteen original stories illustrated with my prints, paintings and drawings. Currently I divide my time between Melbourne and Ballarat in South Western Victoria.